Happy with your handbag?

Plastic bags look set to remain fashionable this summer, with a new range of rucksacks and shoulders bags by Inflate.

The new products, a collaboration with designer Craig Morrison, are a move away from Inflate’s inflatable famed plastic accessories. They combine Inflate’s dip-moulding process with Morrison’s industrial sewing skills. ‘We have brought together the strengths of the two studios to solve the problems,’ says Inflate designer Nick Crosbie.

The rucksack casing is made entirely from plastic. ‘We manufactured the moulds to include as many bits as necessary,’ says Crosbie, ‘using the process to resolve all the details.’ It is the first time the process has been used, manufacturing the components and then stitching and rivetting them together. The rucksacks are finished with nylon straps with colour-coordinated plastic shoulder support pads.

The shoulder bags are made of nylon with a plastic base, flap and shoulder pad. Here, the plastic is used both as a decorative feature and to reinforce the corners. ‘We have taken the weak spots and tried to enhance them and make them more durable,’ says Crosbie. There are plans to introduce other models later this year.

Both products have been designed to stand up on their own, the bag on its plastic base and the rucksack with three small ‘legs’. With typical Inflate flamboyance, bright colours are the order of the day. The bags are orange plastic and the rucksack will be produced in gloss orange, chocolate brown, yellow and pink, and matt black.

The bags will sell for around 25-40 and the rucksack for ‘less than 48’. ‘We were determined to keep it under 50,’ says Crosbie.

Designer: Inflate and Craig Morrison